Qatar opens Islamic art museum designed by I.M. Pei

The Museum of Islamic Art’s five-story stone building sits atop an artificial island a half-mile off the Qatari capital of Doha. I.M. Pei’s design was inspired by a ninth-century Egyptian mosque.

DOHA, Qatar — Qatar's new Islamic art museum, designed by the famous American architect I.M. Pei, is the latest effort by this tiny, oil-rich nation to compete with rival Gulf countries for international attention and investment.